music

Despite featuring this song last year, I couldn’t help wanting to sing it myself. Like I’ve said, it’s my favorite; I have no regrets! Shout out to my dear friend Kelsey who gave me that owl ornament many Christmases ago; doesn’t it look so cute all befuddled atop a white, plastic tree?

Now that we have the Mayan Apocalypse behind us, I hope everyone is having a fun and festive holiday season!

Although “Magnolia” could be heard primarily as a breakup song, it’s one without any spite or malice and because of that maturity it’s also, if not more so, a song of individualism. The chorus of this song just gets to me. Vocals are unencumbered by any other instrumentation and the line “I deserve to see the world” is just so sincere; Sais de Sicilia’s voice has a really lovely sweetness to it that doesn’t sound saccharine. The keys and the guitar also create a meandering, scenic sound, befitting the lyrics.

“Magnolia” is a perfect official introduction to the Her & Gold world. Since the lyrics themselves also denote a kind of independence, it’s appropriate that this is a departure from the folk-influence heard in Bears of Manitou (which she’s still involved with!). There are a bit more electric keys and electric guitar, as well as an heavier introspective inclination. Having been a fan of other Matt Malpass produced records, there’s also that particular polish to this song, a slight city atmosphere, if you will. I can’t wait for the full-length album!

Sais de Sicilia celebrated the release of the first Her & Gold single with an acoustic version of this song, and it’s a whole different kind of beautiful.

I love how casual this video is!

Her & Gold’s debut album Carousel comes out in December, but this single can be purchased from BandCamp, iTunes, and Amazon.

These past few weeks have been about mourning the end of summer (dramatic, I know!) and mulling over personal plans and goals. It’s a bit overwhelming to say the least and when I get scared, I tend to get quiet and reclusive. Actually, that’s not entirely true, it’s more that I become inactive, but my mind certainly runs amok. This song was meant to wade through everything that I was chewing over, but in the end I’m not sure how revelatory it was.

Ever since The Dark Knight Rises gave me the one thing that I’ve wanted so badly from the series (it’s that reveal at the end- it’s all I’ve wanted! Thank you Christopher Nolan!), the extent of my Batman obsession has been in overdrive. Since I have the beautifully amazing limited edition complete series DVD boxset, a rewatch of the animated series was in order. The introduction plays during every single episode and I never tire of it!

While I could go on about how thrilling and engaging the arrangement is (thank you Danny Elfman!), instead I just want to point out the stunning visuals. The art deco/retrofuturist aesthetic and the use of darkness and shadows fit the show and the character perfectly*. In just over one minute, the audience can tell exactly what the show has in store and should not be surprised to find that this is not merely a children’s cartoon.

*Kevin Smith’s podcast “Fatman on Batman” has very interesting interviews with Paul Dini and Bruce Timm that reveal how this look was achieved, along with other fascinating and funny facts. Warning: there is a considerable amount of profanities that get thrown around, but if you’re familiar with Smith’s work, you probably already expected that. Seriously though, the podcasts are great!

The Honey Trees is one of the few bands with a solid aesthetic that perfectly compliments their sound. In their first music video, for the song “To Be With You”, the vintage-inspired, classic imagery and fairy-tale narrative perfectly conveys their musical style and epitomizes their charm.

Their debut EP, Wake the Earth, is a beautifully graceful and cohesive album. Becky Filip’s vocals are consistently ethereal and elegant throughout the record, expressing earnest emotion and vivid imagery, all atop enchanting instrumentation. Both Filip and bandmate Jacob Wick are also artists– Filip is a fine artist whose paintings are available as prints for purchase at her etsy store, while Wick is a graphic designer– so Wake the Earth has the stunning artwork to match! They are currently out of the physical copy at their webstore, but it’s still available on Amazon and iTunes.